Wondering about 'user defined' catagories

How many Civ 2 players use the 'user defined' technology streams and units allowed for in rules txt.? I've found a useful addition to be a dredge with which I can reclaim land from the ocean - great for those cities with lots of water squares. Of course the AI doesn't know how to use them.
Do people use these features when playing over the net?

 

Lots of modding goes on with Civ2 - it's the best version so far for adding or changing game features. TXT and GIF files are well documented in the Scenario Creation forum, and there you will find a lot of other players doing the same thing as you. Do keep a copy of the "vanilla" files someplace safe, though, because usually playing with others (over the net, Demo/Succession/Comparison/GOTM) is done with the original game files.

In most cases modding the game puts the AI at a serious disadvantage. The AI does not discover and use modified units or techs very well, even if you make sure they are in the correct slots (and especially if they are in the "user defined" slots). But you can try the Multiplayer forum to post a mod set (or agree on an existing set) and see if you can get some humans to play against you. Good luck.

 

I think the programmers of Civ 2 would have found it impossible to cover all permutations of user units. After all, sneaky humans could dream up all sorts of things.As I mentioned I've been working with dredges to reclaim land; the AI civs churn out hundreds of the things and they do - nothing.
(for those who might be interested in dredging this is what it looks like in Rules txt.: Dredge, nil, 2, 4move, 0a,2d, 2h 1f, 10build, can carry1unit, 5,technology;
Steam Engine. Ocean becomes Desert under Mine).
I mainly create units to fill gaps, eg: there's lots of scope for an additional engineering unit between Settler and Engineer, so I've turned Extra Land into 'Pioneers', with improved defence and xcountry capabilities. In this case the AI understands and uses the unit properly. Engineers get limited attack,more defence and can see over two squares.

 

Common problem -- I encounter it with my Satellite unit, an aerial scout with phenomenal movement rates (can span about 1/3rd of the globe in 1 turn).

If anybody figures out (or has already) how to keep AI from building scores and scores of a particular unit, I'd love to know the secret!